Washing lines are so green that it surprises me that there is so much resistance to using them.

They dry clothes free! Indeed is there anything greener?

Best energy saving I have made. Cost £2, 9 years ago. I have bought a new set of pegs from the 99pPoundlandshop.

I think there are two resistances to it, one is that weather can be fickle and the other is that obese people may be embarrassed to hang their grits up.

Ours blew down a few days ago! Useless Vileda thing has a separate pole that goes into the concrete base, it bent at the crimp that attaches to the main shaft. Designed to fail!

So reccos for a stronger rotary washing line are welcomed.

we use an outside line normally, but find that in the event of bad weather (and we live on a fen ,where the air is remarkably damp a lot of the time) the MVHR we have in the house means that any wet clothes hung up indoors are pretty much dry overnight

we have a couple of "over bath" airers that look like this

http://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-folding-bathroom-airer/p1189525

that's pretty much the only thing the bath is used for...

The British weather is a fickle mistress so most of us need a plan B. Had a quick look at a local weather station which suggests there are many days that outside drying is going to be problematic http://www.yr.no/place/United_Kingdom/England/Princetown/statistics.html
I know last year a near by weather station recorded 100 consecutive days with precipitation. You don't just need dry weather you need it forecast as well.

Our plan B is cloths hung up inside and a dehumidifier run during the day when the PV can normally cover it's load. If weather is warm open windows and don't bother with dehumidifier.

Yes, I suggested that particular manufacturer although SWMBO is often rightly hesitant to go for the "name" and went to Argos instead. Needless to say, I had the last laugh.

We are by no means on a cliff edge but we get the odd strong wind.

Beau
I get 151 'rain days' a year.
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/climate/gbujwtyv1

my washing lines a bit of old single core 2.5mm wire between a post and the house.
I'd say it no more of an eyesore than the house itself
No ecoworrier round my way just average people with washing lines and common sense
Recently built home are a rare thing, a huge minority of UK properties and even then many have space for
a line , retractable perhaps for the esthetically particular .

How about doing the washing when the weather looks good , that helps a bit , Yes there are times when its wet
and you dry clothes inside. I use the dehumidifer - PV technique myself .

Households 'wasting £120m' using tumble-dryers in summer
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/household-bills/11016983/Households-wasting-120m-using-tumble-dryers-in-summer.html

a well performing A+ tumble dryer claims to use 300kwh/year
average medium size home use 3200kwh/year so 9-10% of consumption
so 9-10% of electric bills for those people worried about rising energy cost and bills
Can we also presume that UK domestic electricity use would fall by 5% if people abandoned tumble dryers?
>50% percentage of the population use them

Out of all the new wet appliances in UK between 1990-2014 tumble drying is the only one that's increase in average energy use, all other have fallen
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/338662/ecuk_chapter_3_domestic_factsheet.pdf

I have the advantage that I look out the back and can see my washing getting wet.
I agree that it is impractical for a lot of people, but the default position of just using the tumble dryer is the wrong one.
When it is wet, and it is almost half the year here (August seems particularly bad), I put my stuff on hangers, hang them from the curtain rail and open the window as much as I dare. Pretty easy to do that is.

Now what about ironing, is it necessary?

lot of Mod-cons are just cons

Posted By: tonyWashing lines are so green that it surprises me that there is so much resistance to using them.

Because "green" comes way down many people's list of priorities Tony. My wife hates using the washing line, and will always stick things in the dryer even in summer. Drives me mental. I suspect it's a ploy to get me to do the washing, as I often take it outside before she can stick it in the dryer.

Basically for green to be popular it has to be even easier than the laziest possible alternative.

Depends what your time is worth.

Read somewhere that it costs about 60p per load with a tumble drier. For example I charge £18 an hour for furniture making so 2 mins to cover the cost of hassle free drying. Bet it takes longer than 2 mins to hang washing on a line and peg. Only playing Devils advocate and don't own a tumble drier but it's hard to make it add up financially.

You get Code For Sustainable Homes points in a new build for having a tumble dryer AND a washing line. Seems bonkers to me, you should get more points if you don't install a tumble dryer!

Does anybody here have a sheltered outdoor area where washing can be dried, logs can be stored, and bikes won't go quite as rusty as out in the rain?

I am NOT going to call it a car port.

My house will have a porch/greenhouse on the west end (about 6 × 3 m plus a bit as it's an A-frame) for various uses including drying washing. Lots of twin-wall polycarbonate to be on the south side.

http://edavies.me.uk/2014/02/sketch-update/